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A research and extension unit of the

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

January 07, 2015

Challenged but Unbroken: Sustaining the Colorado River

The Colorado River Basin blankets a 246,000 square mile area that includes parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of the states of Baja and Sonora Mexico.

Water delivered from the Colorado River serves nearly 40 million municipal and industrial customers, 22 Native American tribes and more than 6 million acres of irrigated agriculture. In addition 7 wildlife refuges, four national recreation areas and 11 national parks depend on the river for vital water supplies.

The Colorado River system is stretched to its limit: over allocation, drought, climate change and ever increasing demands mean that actions must be taken now to prevent harmful future shortages.  Water managers have been and will continue to work with the US Department of the Interior, the Basin tribes, environmental groups and our neighbors in Mexico to create and implement new solutions for the range of serious challenges facing the Basin. 

This beautifully crafted, 9-minute video, written and produced by Central Arizona Project and Studio 522 Productions, Inc, compels all Colorado River water users to take action to ensure the sustainability of this vital resource. Conservation, cooperation and wise water planning are crucial as is continued significant investment in the Basin’s wide range of assets.  

Watch this informative video to find out more about the basin.

Recent News

June 24, 2022
Annual Coconino County 4th Grade Water Ethics Contest

Water conservation is an ethical challenge. Integrating ethical water education into our programs instills a sense of stewardship, ownership, and responsibility in our youth, shaping behaviors and inspiring solutions to our water resource issues. Each year, 4th-grade students across Coconino County are invited to participate in a Water Ethics Contest. The contest, which began in 2010, is sponsored by the Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership (a branch of the Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council) and hosted by Willow Bend Environmental Education Center.

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Engagement
June 24, 2022
Quick! Register Now for the WRRC Annual Conference!

The low-cost standard registration for the WRRC's upcoming conference, Arizona’s Agricultural Outlook: Water, Climate, and Sustainability, closes on June 30! Register today to ensure your spot before the price goes up. In addition to the diverse set of speakers and topics scheduled for the in-person day on July 12, the WRRC has organized two days of virtual programming on July 13 and 14.

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Education
June 09, 2022
BOOK REVIEW - The Water Recycling Revolution: Tapping into the Future

Summer break is a good time for reading. Although fiction is my preferred genre, I was eager to read the fourth and latest book by William M. and Rosemarie Alley, The Water Recycling Revolution: Tapping into the Future

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Engagement
May 31, 2022
WRRC and Universidad de Sonora: Present and Future Cooperation on Transboundary Matters

On May 16, the WRRC organized a meeting in Nogales, Arizona to discuss current and future opportunities for collaboration on the federally funded Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP). 

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Image of a plant sprout beside an image of water
May 26, 2022
Agriculture/Water Nexus Academy 2022

Water is an important consideration for most businesses, but it is absolutely essential for agriculture. Arizona agriculture exports food and fiber to 70 countries across the globe as well as throughout the US. 

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May 25, 2022
Many Engaged for INHABITANTS Documentary Panel Discussion

On May 16, the WRRC hosted a panel discussion on the documentary film INHABITANTS: Indigenous Perspectives On Restoring Our World. The panel featured Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, Assistant Specialist, UArizona Indigenous Resilience Center, School of Natural Resources and the Environment; film co-directors Costa Boutsikaris and Anna Palmer; and moderator Rebecca Tsosie, JD, Regents Professor of Law, UArizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

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We tackle key water policy and management issues, empower informed decision-making, and enrich understanding through engagement, education, and applied research.

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